The Southeast Branch is closed August 4 through September 5, 2017 to complete remodeling work. Patrons can pick up items on hold at the L.H. Bluford Branch. The outside book return will remain accessible during this period. Learn More »

Cast Your Votes in the Booketology Final Four

After their upset of UNC earlier this week, KU has advanced to the NCAA Final Four. Meanwhile on the court of literature, the Jayhawks’ feathered friend To Kill a Mockingbird has also soared into the Booketology semifinals.

In the early rounds, we watched with bittersweet enthusiasm as newer favorites like Twilight, The Hunger Games, and The Help were crushed by the classics.

Then, in the middle rounds, we nearly averted our eyes as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone fell to Fellowship of the Ring in an explosive wizards’ duel and looked on in smirking awe as Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fired its Improbability Drive and left Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? eating spacedust.

But now, the Final Four is upon us, and it’s time to vote.

Check out the updated bracket below, and vote through midnight on April 1. Come back on Monday, April 2, for the one-day Championship match between the last two books.

Fantasy vs. Horror: Poe apostles made a noble but feeble attempt to topple Fellowship, which won by a gory 72-vote landslide. Tolkien has dominated this tournament so far, but now he’s up against fellow Community Bookshelf resident Harper Lee. The spines will rumble in the Final Four.

Sci-Fi vs. Classics:Hitchhiker’s Guide had a fantastic run, carried through four rounds on the shoulders of geeks. But in the Elite 8, Mockingbird had the higher numbers – just barely, though, edging past by 19 votes. Now Scout and Atticus must face Frodo and Gandalf.

Mystery vs. Romance: Sherlock Holmes never met an adversary quite like Bridget Jones, but Romance readers didn’t have their leading lady’s back. Sherlock won by a whopping 102 votes. Will Capote prove his Moriarty?

Literature vs. Nonfiction: In Cold Blood ended The Road’s bleak but beautiful reign of the southeast corner by a margin of 46 votes. In Booketology currency, that’s pretty close. Now, as he faces Arthur Conan Doyle in the Final Four, Truman’s hoping to use his local tie-in to win.

That’s the lineup, folks. Whether the Jayhawks win or lose this weekend, there’ll be plenty of book-on-book action through midnight on Sunday.

Be sure to come back here on Monday, April 2, to vote for the last two books in the Booketology Championship!

Any predictions on which title is going all the way?

About the Author

Jason Harper is the web content developer and social media manager at the Kansas City Public Library.